Eagle Sparks

[EonX]

EAGLE SPARKS​

Hey guys, it’s EonX, but you knew that already, so I’ll quit being redundant. Anyway, a lot of veterans (Molk, august, DC, and some others I probably am forgetting right now) around RU know me back from the Queen meta. After taking about a 5 month hiatus, I decided to come back into the tier as I never really stopped following it during that time. A lot of things had changed since the last time I had battled. Scarf Emboar wasn’t a novelty like it was when I first started using it (and maybe making it popular) Nidoqueen was gone entirely, and Hail was introduced to the RU metagame (again, but I wasn‘t even around for the first time it was here) Although my old team from the Queen meta actually worked pretty well in the current meta, I decided to try making a new team. After looking around for a bit, I finally decided to build one around Braviary, in particular, its Choice Scarf set. This was uncharted waters for me as I can never remember making a team centered around a single Choice item user, but I felt I was up to the challenge. For those who want to know about the teambuilding process, you can read all the stuff in the spoiler tags. For those who just want to see the team, you can skip out on the spoiler info. So without further ado, I present to you Eagle Sparks:

Team at a Glance: (as seen in Team Preview on Showdown)

Teambuilding Process

Well, every team needs a centerpiece, and Choice Scarf Braviary is the focal point of this team. With its raw power, decent Speed, and solid bulk (by sweeper standards) Braviary seemed to fit my playstyle perfectly.

Next, I needed a way to support it offensively. This is where I turned to my early experience in RU way back when Omicron was teaching me general teambuiling skills for RU when I was first starting out. With that first team, I ended up using Expert Belt Manectric, and since it commonly draws in Steelix and Rhydon, Braviary's best defensive counters, it seemed perfect. So with that, Expert Belt Manectric was added to the team.

With the offensive core set to go for the time being, I decided to go defensive with my next two choices. To help both Manectric and Braviary, I needed 2 things: Spikes support and a spinblocker to protect those Spikes. I decided to tackle the Spikes support first. Since Rock-type moves could give the core fits, I decided to go with Ferroseed. Ferroseed could tank Rock-type moves easily, setup Spikes, and paralyze any possible faster Scarfers for a possible late-game sweep for Manectric or Braviary. With Spikes taken care of, I now needed a spinblocker that worked well with Ferroseed in particular, but could also help out Braviary defensively.

Truth be told, virtually every Ghost-type has pretty good synergy with Ferroseed since they're immune to Fighting. However, there was only one that could provide defensive backup for Braviary without forfeiting offensive momentum or type stacking with Manectric. That one is Golurk. Golurk's unique ability to setup SR as a Ghost-type really helped me out as it gave me much more flexibility with my last addition. Its ability to still keep up offensive pressure is valuable too as not many Pokemon can setup on Golurk for free and it can dish out some pretty powerful hits to wear down opposing bulky Pokemon that can give Braviary and Manectric problems.

There was one major thing left to support Braviary. Rapid Spin. When your Scarf user is weak to SR, not having a spinner is just suicidal, so I knew I needed to add one. Thankfully, Kabutops had good synergy with the parts in place already. A 4x resistance to Fire really helps Ferroseed while its weakness to Electric- and Ground-type moves means that it can potentially give both Braviary and Manectric easy switch-ins. Its Aqua Jet also lets it double up as a secondary revenge killer if Braviary can't last or if I can't risk the switch to it. With SR, Spikes, offensive support, and Rapid Spin support all covered already, I felt I could be really flexible with the last slot.

Now, when I took a look at the team, I noticed that the only current top 10 Pokemon I had on the team was Kabutops. Knowing that, I decided to do my best to not have anything else from the top 10 added in this last team slot. While looking at the team, I realized that I didn't have a very solid switch-in to Gallade, faster ones with Night Slash in particular. While Uxie may seem like the perfect fit, that would be another top 10 Pokemon, something I didn't want to do unless absolutely necessary. After looking deeper, I found Mesprit. With most utility spots taken care of, I decided to give its Choice Specs set a whirl and utilize it as the primary wallbreaker on the team. It rarely disappoints and its ability to take on most Ground- and Fighting-types is really useful, lessening the pressure on Braviary and Golurk to handle the respective attacks. So, with Mesprit added, the team was complete.

After taking in some advice after posting this RMT, I gave Emboar a test run over Manectric for the team. The results were great as Emboar provided a spectacular way to just maul Rock-, Steel-, and Grass-types that could trouble the other members of the team. It also gave me a more secure way to handle Grass-types since it can use Sleep Talk to effectively absorb Sleep for the team. Emboar's ability to crush Rock- and Steel-types really helps Braviary and Mesprit and both can utilize U-turn to get Emboar in safely. The Choice Band set was chosen over the Scarf set as I already had a Scarf user in Braviary and it also let me be a bit more flexible with Mesprit.

Full Details:​

Robo Ghoul (Golurk) @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Shadow Punch
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch

Golurk is the first part of the defensive core. It, like Mesprit, provides a solid defense-to-offense pivot and vice versa as it has great resists and an important immunity to Electric. I chose the Tank set because I’ve always liked to have more offensive SR users. (or, at least SR users that can go on the offensive if needed) Golurk is also the only SR user in the entire game that can also spinblock, so that’s a pretty neat perk. Shadow Punch and EQ are obligatory STAB moves and they actually hurt pretty badly off of Golurk’s base 123 Attack stat. I’ve toyed around with the last slot; having a hard time choosing Fire Punch or Drain Punch. For now, Fire Punch is there as I have only one other Fire-type move otherwise, though there have certainly been times through testing where Drain Punch has been effective. The EVs are standard for the set. Hit as hard as possible, outspeed minimum Speed Lanturn, put the rest in HP for overall bulk. Between Golurk and Ferroseed, I can usually outlast most Rock- and Electric-type Pokemon to help Braviary out. Golurk’s sheer bulk also lets it take on Steelix and Rhydon quite easily, giving me a more defensive option should it be more effective for that battle.

ThornSeed (Ferroseed) (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 248 Def / 12 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave
- Gyro Ball

Ferroseed is a pretty cool Pokemon in the current metagame. It has tons of great resistances and some really cool qualities. It’s one of, if not the best defensive Spikers in the game, but the best part is that it can give Braviary Spikes support as well as a sturdy Electric AND Rock resist to fall back on. Of course, it also helps with Golurk as the two resist the vast majority of types together and Ferroseed can take on the top 2 spinners quite easily for Golurk. Leech Seed gives Ferroseed a way to recover health since it doesn’t have Leftovers due to Eviolite. Thunder Wave is a fantastic move. Usually, when I use it early on, it cripples a pretty important Pokemon on the opposing team (stuff like Emboar, Rotom-C, and Typhlosion love coming in early on Ferroseed to put pressure on me) Gyro Ball gives me an attacking option and hits for decent power despite Ferroseed’s low Attack stat. The EV spread focuses on physical bulk with the small amount of leftover EVs going to Ferroseed’s Special Defense. Ferroseed is perhaps Golurk’s best friend in RU (other than a Wish user of course) since it straight up walls the common Rapid Spin Kabutops and can tank hits from Cryo long enough to make SR take its toll and force it into a corner. The fact that it attracts pretty much every Fire-type in the tier kind of sucks, but I tend to use T-Wave more aggressively in matches with Fire-types. (primarily special attacking ones)

BladeSpin (Kabutops) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
- Aqua Jet

Kabutops is the best spinner in the tier. So, of course I’m going to use it on a team that centers itself (offensively at least) around Scarf Braviary. SD is really there to break through Spiritomb and Dusknoir (it sucks, but lots of people use it, so meh) Aqua Jet is primarily for Normal Rotom, but it’s also useful as it lets me have a secondary revenge killing tool if Braviary goes down. Stone Edge lets Kabutops put a serious dent in the likes of Uxie and Mesprit. With Rapid Spin, Kabutops can get rid of SR and Spikes that could otherwise really trouble this team’s offensive core. The EV spread is pretty standard for any physical attacker with Lum Berry as the hold item to allow Kabutops to get a one-time free pass on status.

Pixlie (Mesprit) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 92 HP / 252 SAtk / 164 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- U-turn

I’ve always liked Mesprit. It’s like that fine balance between the spectacular power of Azelf and the amazing bulk of Uxie. That said, I decided to use Mesprit's Choice Specs set as a base for its role in the team. After adding Choice Band Emboar to the team, I changed the held item to an Expert Belt to let Mesprit change moves and utilize its fantastic coverage to a greater extent. Mesprit is, imo, the premier offensive check to Gallade. Put simply, if Gallade doesn’t have Night Slash, it loses. Anyway, Psyshock is chosen over Psychic for the very reason I put Mesprit above Typhlosion, Rotom-C, and other Specs users; the ability to better handle Gallade. Also cool for luring in and breaking down Clefable, something that could hold up Manectric. Speaking of helping Manectric, Ice Beam does just that; crushing the best offensive counter to Manectric, Druddigon. Next up is Thunderbolt. As Mesprit attracts Steel- and Dark-types alike, a move that can hit the vast majority of them is great. This also lets Mesprit double up as a solid offensive response to Slowking. Mesprit may not like paralysis, but with Golurk and Manectric around, Slowking will always think twice about using T-Wave. Mesprit can also take a surprise hit from Specs Slowking thanks to its natural bulk. Lastly, U-turn lets Mesprit scout around for its checks and counters and also allows it to lead off in a match rather effectively. The EV spread gives Mesprit as much power and Speed as possible, but I have been thinking of dropping the Speed EVs down to 164 (enough to outspeed neutral base 80s) and putting the rest of the EVs in HP. Mesprit has amazing defensive synergy with the team. Between Golurk and Ferroseed, Mesprit’s weaknesses are covered. Mesprit also gives me a fantastic Ground immunity (useful since many Ground-type attackers have Rock-type moves for Braviary) alongside resistances to Fighting- and Psychic-type moves.

FlareBeard (Emboar) (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Wild Charge
- Sleep Talk

Emboar was originally suggested for the team by col49 as a replacement for Manectric. While he suggested the Choice Scarf set and it be used as more of a utility Scarfer, I found the Choice Band set to be a bit more effective overall in testing as it could just immediately lay waste to Rock- and Steel-types. The added bulk for this set also let Emboar be an emergency check to most Electric-types if Braviary U-turns out as they try to come in. Flare Blitz and Superpower just destroy things. Emboar’s Flare Blitz is actually marginally stronger than Entei’s! Generally, once Emboar gets in, I just click the STAB move that the opponent has the fewer resists for. Wild Charge ensures that bulky Water-types such as Slowking, Alomomola, and Qwilfish get dented significantly if they try to check Emboar. Sleep Talk lets Emboar handle sleep inducers quite nicely, though the Scarf set does admittedly do this a little better on average. 24 Speed EVs are used in order to let Emboar outspeed minimum Speed Lanturn. Max Attack and an Adamant nature are used to let Emboar hit more like a freight train. The remaining EVs are placed into Emboar’s HP for bulk and absorbing recoil better.

Valiant (Braviary) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Superpower
- Return
- U-turn

This was the centerpiece I built the team around. It’s the first time I can remember actually building a team around a Choice item user, much less a Scarf user, but Braviary’s raw power makes it all work. Brave Bird is Braviary’s dive bomb move. If I need to eliminate something swiftly, odds are I’ll use Brave Bird. That said, I try to avoid using it whenever possible as the recoil can quickly take its toll. Return is pretty much a safety valve move. It has no drawbacks, solid power, and great neutral coverage. Great for ending games or just getting a decent amount of power if I can’t afford to use Brave Bird. Superpower is the tool that makes Braviary one of the most self-sufficient late-game cleaners in the tier. Most of Braviary’s checks and counters are Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon, so what better way to weaken them than with a coverage move that hits them for super effective damage? If I can’t find time to bring in Manectric, then all is not lost as Braviary can flush out the likes of Steelix and Rhydon on its own and weaken them with Superpower. Lastly is U-turn. This completes the core of Manectric, Mesprit, and Braviary by letting all 3 utilize the VoltTurn strategy to flush out each other’s checks and counters. Thanks to the defensive backup from Golurk and Ferroseed, Braviary can easily utilize U-turn in a more defensive manner early on since they take on most of what Braviary fears quite admirably. The EV spread is pretty typical of any physical attacker, but Adamant nature is used to let Braviary clean up more easily late-game.

Team Import

Ferroseed (F) @ Eviolite
Trait: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 248 Def / 12 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Spd)
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave
- Gyro Ball

Kabutops (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge
- Rapid Spin
- Aqua Jet

Golurk @ Leftovers
Trait: Iron Fist
EVs: 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Shadow Punch
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch

Emboar (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Blaze
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Wild Charge
- Sleep Talk

Mesprit @ Expert Belt
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 92 HP / 252 SAtk / 164 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- U-turn

Braviary (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Superpower
- Return
- U-turn

Team in Action

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ru-30160282 Kabutops and Manectric working.

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ru-30321549 Mesprit breaking the tanks from turn 1.

http://pokemonshowdown.com/replay/ru-34688699 Braviary takes the stage

Currently Testing

Mixed Druddigon over Emboar as suggested by Yonko7
Sub Magmortar over Emboar as suggested by Yonko7

Former Team Members

Spark Man (Manectric) (M) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Lightningrod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Volt Switch

FINAL THOUGHTS:​

It may not be the best team out there and it's certainly not the most standard of teams (hell, the only Pokemon in the top 25 of May's 1850 usage stats is Kabutops at #5) but it has worked very well over the past month or so. As always, any constructive criticisms of the team are appreciated and if you want to give it a test run for yourself, feel free to use the import above. Anyway, Luvdisc if you liked the team, and hopefully this will spur some people to try out some things that aren't as commonly seen.

 

[col49]

Hey EonX-, cool team ^_^ I'm a pretty big fan of spike-stacking teams with a bird win-con, so I have to give you props there haha.

Anywho, two threats that immediately came to my attention are Absol and offensively inclined Hail teams. In the case of the former, your team has no particularly comfortable method of playing around Sucker Punch, with which it can check Mesprit, Braviary (after SR), and Manectric handily, and aside from performing a series of risky switches to stack LO / Iron Barbs damage your defensive backbone of Golurk+Ferroseed really struggles with it (especially Fire Blast variants, which are tougher to pressure with residual damage from Ferroseed). Hail teams, especially those packing Blizzspammers that can outpace Braviary such as Rotom-F, can essentially just spam Blizzard upon switch-in, as Kabutops is far from a reliable Blizzard sponge. While I'm of course exaggerating the ease at which such threats can come and effectively pose difficulties, I feel they should be addressed.

Anywho, I feel as though the most effectual method of combatting these threats would be to utilize a Choice Scarf Emboar over Manectric. While I can understand the reasoning behind the choice of Manectric, the Expert Belt set holds far less surprise value now with Choice Scarf being an admittedly mediocre set. Moreover, with the Spikes support Braviary is provided, most of its checks can be effectively whittled down simply by switching into a U-Turn and being subsequently forced out. Emboar provides this team a valuable offensive "glue", offering a reasonable check to both Absol and Blizzspam (albeit not a recurring one) and overall solid utility scarfer. This also provides your team a capable Sleep absorber, minimizing the impact of Pokemon such as Smeargle and avoiding the hidden power guessing game (since Ferroseed checks HP Rock variants and Braviary can eat an HP Fire pretty comfortably). This change also generally ease the burden on Braviary to check faster, non-Water weak threats, allowing you to better preserve your main win condition.

I'd also agree that Lum Berry is worth tinkering with, the hazard support really helps make up for the drop in damage output and the lack of recoil is pretty key. Having a sleep absorber also makes up for the fact that 'Tops can no longer break through bulky Grass-types with Stone Edge.

tl;dr

--->

• Life Orb ---> Lum Berry (opt.)

Set

Emboar @ Choice Scarf | Blaze
Jolly | 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Flare Blitz | Superpower | Wild Charge | Sleep Talk

All in all there wasn't much to say tbh, cool team, and I hope my suggestions were of some use to you n_n

 

[cacturne]

Really cool team dude! I've always wanted to use braviary but I'm always too lazy to add a spinner or if i do, to actually use rapid spin! For kabutops i would say that you should run swift swim over weak armor as it gives you a very powerful counter to rain teams. I also agree with the guy above that lum berry is a better item for kabutops. I do disagree however, with adding scarfed emboar simply because it doesnt make sense to have two scarfed pokes on the same team and manetric can be very powerful and useful if you are good at bluffing a choice scarf

 

[EonX]

@col49 yeah, Absol has been a pretty big pain. Generally though, Kabutops's Aqua Jet helps me limit the damage it causes, but there's no doubt that I'll test out Emboar over Manectric just to try and have a better response. Not completely sold on Scarf Emboar as I've never been too keen on using 2 Scarfers, but I may try the Band set as well since it can rip apart the Rocks and Steels that give Braviary problems. (it would also give me a way to try out something like EBelt or Lefties on Mesprit)
As far as Lum Berry on Kabutops goes, I was already planning to work with that a little in the near future since Kabutops's main job is to spin away hazards. I'll just have to see if the loss in power is worth the greater security against defensive Ghosts.

As a final note for this post, I have added a "Currently Testing" spoiler that shows any suggested changes I'm currently testing and who originally suggested them.

 

[EonX]

Ok, going to bump this with some updates on the changes I've been working on as of late. Apologies for being a bit late with this.

First off, I have gone ahead and replaced Manectric with Choice Band Emboar. Much thanks to col49 for getting the ball rolling on this one. I ultimately chose the CB set over the Scarf set as I A.) already had a Scarf user and B.) was able to be a bit more flexible with Mesprit (which I'll get to momentarily)
Next would be Kabutops. After testing it with a Lum Berry, I found it to be more consistent with spinning, and as col49 predicted, the entry hazard support made up for the loss in damage output most of the time.
Finally, with CB Emboar becoming the main wallbreaker, I altered Mesprit a bit by using a slightly bulkier EV spread (with the ability to still outspeed neutral base 80s) and changed its item to an Expert Belt to maintain its power on super effective hits without squandering its bulk.

As a final note, I have added a replay that uses the updated version of the team as well as a section that covers team members that have been replaced. Still open to any and all suggestions for the team!

 

[Yonko7]

Hiya EonX, I meant to rate this a couple of days ago but the site was down <:

This is a solid team and I love how your using lesser-used Pokemon; they really do deserve the love!

I find that Emboar is the most replaceable member on the team. It does its job well but I feel like it isn't luring out Steelix and Pokemon like Rhydon as well as it should for Braviery's sake. I suggest Mixed Druddigon as it can lure out Steelix with its Dragon STAB and can stallbreak with its coverage if needed, whereas Emboar wallbreaks. Druddigon can also act as an emergency check to any set-up sweeper or cause extra chip damage with Sucker Punch. The caveat is that you lose a beastly wallbreaker and a good switch-in to Grass-types, although Druddigon can be modified to handle Grass-types.

Druddigon

Druddigon@Life Orb
Sheer Force | Lonely
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 20 SpA / 24 Spe
-Dragon Claw
-Flamethrower
-Earthquake
-Sleep Talk / Sucker Punch

The last slot is a toss-up really, but Sleep Talk makes you have an answer to sleep inducers, but Sucker Punch could be used if you'd rather sack something. Other notable choices are Substitute and Glare. The EVs are standard but the Speed EVs are bumped up to outspeed neutral 84 Spe Rhydon.

Now I know you don't like top ranking Pokemon, so if the number 2 on the 1850 stats doesn't satisfy you, then I recommend Magmortar instead. Magmortar makes an even better switch-in to Grass-types thanks to Vital Spirit so it doesn't even need to use Sleep Talk and it can easily decimate defensive Pokemon that might block Braviery like Alomomola and Steelix. Although, Magmortar is SR weak and doesn't have the pure physical power like Emboar, but it is faster. Additionally, that extra Speed you can check offensive Pokemon like Gallade without risking Braviery or Mesprit, also you can limit Smeargle to one hazard thanks to Vital Spirit and by being faster. To make it even sweeter, Ferroseed has excellent synergy with Magmortar and the Spikes and Thunder Wave means Magmortar is even better!

Magmortar

Magmortar@Expert Belt
Vital Spirit | Timid
EVs: 24 HP / 252 SpA / 232 Spe
-Fire Blast
-Thunderbolt
-Focus Blast
-Substitute / HP Grass

The reason Substitute is slashed first is because Rhydon is easily taken out with Focus Blast and hazards, and Lanturn isn't too troubling for your team with Golurk & Ferroseed; Substitute makes Magmortar hard to stop and puts a lot of offensive pressure and switching on their side. Timid so to fully take advantage of its Speed, and Expert Belt to preserve bulk, but LO is an option.

Lastly, I think Healing Wish for Mesprit deserves to be looked at, as it can be a tremendous help if Braviery somehow got weakened early-game, although I don't know what to swap out. If you can bear it, I think Thunderbolt could get the axe as you know have Magmortar to get Water-types, or U-turn if you like Druddigon.

Hope I helped

gl!

 

[EonX]

@Yonko7, both of those sets look pretty enticing. I'll have to give both of them a little test run to see which one I like better. Leaning toward Magmortar on paper, but I'll just have to see which works best in practice to know for sure. I'll see if I can fit Healing Wish in there, but I can really only see myself using it if I pick Magmortar since the utility of U-turn really helps against stuff like Escavalier and Absol. (the latter of which will be hard to deal with if I replace Emboar)